According to a new report fromPike Research, a part of Navigant’s Energy Practice, installations of natural gas gen-sets from 2013 to 2018 will total 60GW of capacity, producing almost $10 billion in annual revenue, by 2018.

“Until recently, the natural gas gen-set market has experienced steady growth, but a boom in unconventional gas resources and tightening regulations limiting stationary generator emissions point to accelerating growth over the next decade,” says Mackinnon Lawrence, senior research analyst. “The number of specialized segments within the gen-set market — spanning power classes, applications, and end-use customers — offer a rich ecosystem of opportunities for market participants.”

The vast majority of power generation technologies used in distributed applications are reciprocating engines, according to the report. Reciprocating engines are well-suited for distributed power generation. They are widely used in the United States and Europe, and are supported by a highly developed sales and service infrastructure. Reciprocating engines start quickly, follow load well, have good part-load efficiencies, maintain efficiency and output under harsh conditions, and are generally highly reliable.

The report,“Natural Gas Generator Sets,” analyzes the global market potential for natural gas gen-sets, from less than 15kW to 6MW for residential, commercial, and industrial applications. The study includes in-depth assessments of global regions for capacity installations, an analysis of global gas resource development, and profiles of the key industry players engaged in this market. Regional market forecasts are provided through 2018 for annual installations and revenue, segmented by power class as well as for power generation and CHP applications.